Method of Joining a Conference Call

ABSTRACT

In a computer-implemented method of joining a user to a conference call event an interface associated with a time management software application is displayed. The interface displays information relating to the conference call event including a date for a conference call which is subject of the conference call event and a start time of the conference call. While displaying the interface, a menu offering one or more options is displayed; these one or more options include an option to join the conference call. When an indication of a selection of the option to join the conference call is received, information associated with the conference call is located; this information includes a telephone number for a conference call bridge. A connection with the conference call bridge using the telephone number is initiated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/152,450 filed Feb. 13, 2009, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference. This application is relatedto U.S. provisional application No. 61/152,473, filed Feb. 13, 2009, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to a computer-implemented method ofjoining a user into a conference call, and more specifically, relates tothe provision of a user interface from which a user may easily initiatejoining a conference call.

It is common for people to engage in collaborative work. Increasingly,collaboration occurs among people who are geographically separated fromone another. When collaborators desire to meet, they may all physicallyconverge in one location for a meeting. Alternatively, and as is moretypical nowadays, collaborators may remain at their respectivegeographic locations but instead meet via conference call.

The ability to meet via conference call has been made possible by theprovision of conference call systems by telephony service providers. Asubscriber to such a conference call system may, in exchange for paymentof a subscription fee, host conference calls. In particular, the serviceprovider may provide the host subscriber a telephone number. The host,who is sometimes also referred to as the “moderator”, may then give thatphone number, i.e. the “dial-in number”, to desired participants in theconference call. Each participant, including the host, may call thedial-in number at the designated meeting time, i.e. each participant may“dial-in” to the conference call. The conference call system may then“bridge” or link the callers' phone lines together, joining allparticipants into the conference.

Alternatively, instead of subscribing to a conference call systemmaintained by a third party telephony service provider, certainorganizations may have their own conference call system. These privateconference call systems may function similarly.

In addition to the dial-in phone number, conference call systems ofteninclude the capability for the host to set a security code. The host maygive the security code, for example for a given conference call event,to each desired participant in the conference in addition to the dial-innumber. Subsequent to dialing the dial-in number and being connected tothe conference call system, each participant may be prompted to enterthe security code. Only after entering the correct security code will aparticipant be placed into the conference. While the security code isoptional, many people/organizations choose to use one since dial-innumbers may be distributed widely and may therefore become widely known.Requiring that a security code be entered helps ensures that only thosepeople with the code can successfully join the conference.

A participant desiring to join a conference call must therefore dialfirst a multi-digit telephone number followed by a multi-digit securitycode. This requirement presents at least two difficulties. First, sincethe participant is unlikely to remember the required sequence of digits,he or she needs to record them upon receipt, for example, from the host,such that he or she is able to later retrieve those digits at thedesignated meeting time. Secondly, even after retrieving the digits, theuser must typically subsequently enter them into the telephone in orderto be successfully connected and placed into the conference call. Giventhe many digits that the user must enter, the user is prone tomis-dialing the dial-in number and incorrectly entering the securitycode.

There therefore exists a need to more easily enable a user to join aconference call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanyingdrawings which show example embodiments of the present application, andin which:

FIG. 1 shows, in block diagram form, an example system for managingenterprise-related mobile calls, including an enterprise communicationsplatform;

FIG. 2 shows, in block diagram form, further details of an embodiment ofthe enterprise communications platform;

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the enterprise communicationsplatform;

FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment of the enterprise communicationsplatform;

FIG. 5 shows further details of the enterprise communications platformof FIG. 3;

FIG. 6A is a signaling diagram generally indicating howmobile-originated, mobile-initiated calls are processed by the networkof FIG. 5;

FIG. 6B is a signaling diagram generally indicating howmobile-originated, PBX-initiated, calls are processed by the network ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a signaling diagram generally indicating howmobile-terminated, mobile-initiated calls are processed by the networkof FIG. 5:

FIG. 7B is a signaling diagram generally indicating howmobile-terminated, PBX-initiated calls are processed by the network ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing selected components of a mobilecommunications device implementing the disclosed method;

FIGS. 9A to 9F are screenshots depicting an operation of the mobilecommunications device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a screenshot depicting yet another operation of the mobilecommunications device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a screenshot depicting an aspect of operation of thedisclosed method;

FIG. 12 is a screenshot depicting yet another operation of the mobilecommunications device of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are screenshots depicting operation of a secondembodiment of the disclosed method;

FIG. 14 is a screenshot depicting operation of a third embodiment of thedisclosed method;

FIG. 15 is a screenshot depicting operation of a fourth embodiment ofthe disclosed method; and

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram depicting operation by a user of the mobilecommunications device of FIG. 8 in accordance with the disclosed method.

Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures todenote similar components.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of joining a user to aconference call event is provided wherein an interface associated with atime management software application is displayed. The interfacedisplays information relating to the conference call event including adate for a conference call which is subject of the conference call eventand a start time of the conference call. While displaying the interface,a menu offering one or more options is displayed; these one or moreoptions include an option to join the conference call. When anindication of a selection of the option to join the conference call isreceived, information associated with the conference call is located;this information includes a telephone number for a conference callbridge. A connection with the conference call bridge using the telephonenumber is initiated.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of joining a user to aconference call event is provided wherein an interface associated with acalendar application is displayed. The calendar application displaysinformation relating to the conference call event including a start timeand an end time of a conference call which is subject of the conferencecall event. Upon receiving an indication of a selection of theconference call event, the interface displays a menu offering one ormore options; these one or more options include an option to join theconference call. Upon receiving an indication of a selection of theoption to join the conference call, information associated with theconference call is located; this information includes a telephone numberfor a conference call bridge. A connection with the conference callbridge using the telephone number is initiated.

In yet another aspect, a computer-implemented method of joining a userto a conference call event is provided wherein at a pre-determined timein advance of a start time associated with a conference call event, adisplay of (i) a reminder window displaying information relating to theconference call event and (ii) a menu offering one or more optionsavailable are simultaneously initiated. These one or more optionsinclude an option to join the conference call. Upon receipt of anindication of a selection of the option to join the conference call,information associated with the conference call is located; thisinformation includes a telephone number for a conference call bridge. Aconnection with the conference call bridge using the telephone number isinitiated.

In yet another aspect, a computer-implemented method of joining a userto a conference call event is provided wherein a user interfaceassociated with a time management software application is displayed. Theuser interface displays information relating to the conference callevent including a date for a conference call which is subject of theconference call event and a start time of the conference call. Whiledisplaying the user interface, a menu offering one or more optionsavailable to the user is displayed; these one or more options include anoption to join the conference call. If the user selects the option tojoin the conference call, information, including a dial-in telephonenumber, is located associated with the conference call and dialing ofthe dial-in telephone number is initiated

Mobile communications devices adapted to implement the methods are alsoprovided.

Other aspects of the present application will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art from a review of the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the drawings.

Embodiments of the present application are not limited to any particularoperating system, mobile device architecture, server architecture, orcomputer programming language.

Although reference may be made to “calls” in the description of exampleembodiments below, it will be appreciated that the described systems andmethods are applicable to session-based communications in general andnot limited to voice calls. It will also be appreciated that the systemsand methods may not be limited to sessions and may be applicable tomessaging-based communications in some embodiments.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which shows, in block diagram form, anexample system, generally designated 10, for the control and managementof communications. The system 10 includes an enterprise or businesssystem 20, which in many embodiments includes a local area network(LAN). In the description below, the enterprise or business system 20may be referred to as an enterprise network 20. It will be appreciatedthat the enterprise network 20 may include more than one network and maybe located in multiple geographic areas in some embodiments.

The enterprise network 20 may be connected, often through a firewall 22,to a wide area network (WAN) 30, such as the Internet. The enterprisenetwork 20 may also be connected to a public switched telephone network(PSTN) 40 via direct inward dialing (DID) trunks or primary rateinterface (PRI) trunks.

The enterprise network 20 may also communicate with a public land mobilenetwork (PLMN) 50, which may also be referred to as a wireless wide areanetwork (WWAN) or, in some cases, a cellular network. The connectionwith the PLMN 50 may be made via a relay 26, as known in the art.

The enterprise network 20 may also provide a wireless local area network(WLAN) 32 a featuring wireless access points. Other WLANs 32 may existoutside the enterprise network 20. For example, WLAN 32 b may beconnected to WAN 30.

The system 10 may include a number of enterprise-associated mobiledevices 11 (only one shown). The mobile devices 11 may include devicesequipped for cellular communication through the PLMN 50, mobile devicesequipped for Wi-Fi communications over one of the WLANs 32, or dual-modedevices capable of both cellular and WLAN communications. WLANs 32 maybe configured in accordance with one of the IEEE 802.11 specifications.

It will be understood that the mobile devices 11 include one or moreradio transceivers and associated processing hardware and software toenable wireless communications with the PLMN 50 and/or one of the WLANs32. In various embodiments, the PLMN 50 and mobile devices 11 may beconfigured to operate in compliance with any one or more of a number ofwireless protocols, including GSM, GPRS. CDMA, EDGE, UMTS, EvDO, HSPA,3GPP, or a variety of others. It will be appreciated that the mobiledevice 11 may roam within the PLMN 50 and across PLMNs, in known manner,as the user moves. In some instances, the dual-mode mobile devices 11and/or the enterprise network 20 are configured to facilitate roamingbetween the PLMN 50 and a WLAN 32, and are thus capable of seamlesslytransferring sessions (such as voice calls) from a connection with thecellular interface of the dual-mode device 11 to the WLAN 32 interfaceof the dual-mode device 11, and vice versa.

The enterprise network 20 typically includes a number of networkedservers, computers, and other devices. For example, the enterprisenetwork 20 may connect one or more desktop or laptop computers 15 (oneshown). The connection may be wired or wireless in some embodiments. Theenterprise network 20 may also connect to one or more digital telephonesets 17 (one shown).

The enterprise network 20 may include one or more mail servers, such asmail server 24, for coordinating the transmission, storage, and receiptof electronic messages for client devices operating within theenterprise network 20. Typical mail servers include the MicrosoftExchange Server™ and the IBM Lotus Domino™ server. Each user within theenterprise typically has at least one user account within the enterprisenetwork 20. Associated with each user account is message addressinformation, such as an e-mail address. Messages addressed to a usermessage address are stored on the enterprise network 20 in the mailserver 24. The messages may be retrieved by the user using a messagingapplication, such as an e-mail client application. The messagingapplication may be operating on a user's computer 15 connected to theenterprise network 20 within the enterprise. In some embodiments, theuser may be permitted to access stored messages using a remote computer,for example at another location via the WAN 30 using a VPN connection.Using the messaging application, the user may also compose and sendmessages addressed to others, within or outside the enterprise network20. The messaging application causes the mail server 24 to send acomposed message to the addressee, often via the WAN 30.

The relay 26 serves to route messages received over the PLMN 50 from themobile device 11 to the corresponding enterprise network 20. The relay26 also pushes messages from the enterprise network 20 to the mobiledevice 11 via the PLMN 50.

The enterprise network 20 also includes an enterprise server 12.Together with the relay 26, the enterprise server 12 functions toredirect or relay incoming e-mail messages addressed to a user's e-mailaddress within the enterprise network 20 to the user's mobile device 11and to relay incoming e-mail messages composed and sent via the mobiledevice 11 out to the intended recipients within the WAN 30 or elsewhere.The enterprise server 12 and relay 26 together facilitate “push” e-mailservice for the mobile device 11 enabling the user to send and receivee-mail messages using the mobile device 11 as though the user wereconnected to an e-mail client within the enterprise network 20 using theuser's enterprise-related e-mail address, for example on computer 15.

As is typical in many enterprises, the enterprise network 20 includes aPrivate Branch eXchange (although in various embodiments the PBX may bea standard PBX or an IP-PBX, for simplicity the description below usesthe term PBX to refer to both) 16 having a connection with the PSTN 40for routing incoming and outgoing voice calls for the enterprise. ThePBX 16 is connected to the PSTN 40 via DID trunks or PRI trunks, forexample. The PBX 16 may use ISDN signaling protocols for setting up andtearing down circuit-switched connections through the PSTN 40 andrelated signaling and communications. In some embodiments, the PBX 16may be connected to one or more conventional analog telephones 19. ThePBX 16 is also connected to the enterprise network 20 and, through it,to telephone terminal devices, such as digital telephone sets 17,softphones operating on computers 15, etc. Within the enterprise, eachindividual may have an associated extension number, sometimes referredto as a PNP (private numbering plan), or direct dial phone number. Callsoutgoing from the PBX 16 to the PSTN 40 or incoming from the PSTN 40 tothe PBX 16 are typically circuit-switched calls. Within the enterprise,e.g. between the PBX 16 and terminal devices, voice calls are oftenpacket-switched calls, for example Voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls. However,the PBX may also facilitate packet-switched calls carried out withterminal devices outside the enterprise.

The enterprise network 20 may further include a Service ManagementPlatform (SMP) 18 for performing some aspects of messaging or sessioncontrol, like call control and advanced call processing features. TheSMP 18 may, in some cases, also perform some media handling.Collectively the SMP 18 and PBX 16 may be referred to as the enterprisecommunications platform, generally designated 14. It will be appreciatedthat the enterprise communications platform 14 and, in particular, theSMP 18, is implemented on one or more servers having suitablecommunications interfaces for connecting to and communicating with thePBX 16 and/or DID/PRI trunks. Although the SMP 18 may be implemented ona stand-alone server, it will be appreciated that it may be implementedinto an existing control agent/server as a logical software component.As will be described below, the SMP 18 may be implemented as amulti-layer platform.

The enterprise communications platform 14 implements the switching toconnect session legs and may provide the conversion between, forexample, a circuit-switched call and a VoIP call, or to connect legs ofother media sessions. In some embodiments, in the context of voice callsthe enterprise communications platform 14 provides a number ofadditional functions including automated attendant, interactive voiceresponse, call forwarding, voice mail, etc. It may also implementcertain usage restrictions on enterprise users, such as blockinginternational calls or 1-900 calls. In many embodiments, SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) may be used to set-up, manage, and terminatemedia sessions for voice calls. Other protocols may also be employed bythe enterprise communications platform 14, for example, Web Services,Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) protocol, Session InitiationProtocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions(SIMPLE), and various custom Application Programming Interfaces (APIs),as will be described in greater detail below.

One of the functions of the enterprise communications platform 14 is toextend the features of enterprise telephony to the mobile devices 11.For example, the enterprise communications platform 14 may allow themobile device 11 to perform functions akin to those normally availableon a standard office telephone, such as the digital telephone set 17 oranalog telephone set 15. Example features may include direct extensiondialing, enterprise voice mail, conferencing, call transfer, call park,etc.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2 to 4, which show example embodiments ofthe enterprise communications system 14. Again, although references aremade below to “calls” or call-centric features it will be appreciatedthat the architectures and systems depicted and described are applicableto session-based communications in general and, in some instances, tomessaging-based communications.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment intended for use in a circuit-switchedTDM context. The PBX 16 is coupled to the SMP 18 via PRI connection 60or other suitable digital trunk. In some embodiments, the PRI connection60 may include a first PRI connection, a second PRI connection, and achannel service unit (CSU), wherein the CSU is a mechanism forconnecting computing devices to digital mediums in a manner that allowsfor the retiming and regeneration of incoming signals. It will beappreciated that there may be additional or alternative connectionsbetween the PBX 16 and the SMP 18.

In this embodiment, the SMP 18 assumes control over both call processingand the media itself. This architecture may be referred to as “FirstParty Call Control”. Many of the media handling functions normallyimplemented by the PBX 16 are handled by the SMP 18 in thisarchitecture. Incoming calls addressed to any extension or direct dialnumber within the enterprise, for example, are always first routed tothe SMP 18. Thereafter, a call leg is established from the SMP 18 to thecalled party within the enterprise, and the two legs are bridged.Accordingly, the SMP 18 includes a digital trunk interface 62 and adigital signal processing (DSP) conferencing bridge 64. The DSPconferencing bridge 64 performs the bridging of calls for implementationof various call features, such as conferencing, call transfer, etc. Thedigital trunk interface 62 may be implemented as a plurality oftelephonic cards, e.g. Intel Dialogic cards, interconnected by a bus andoperating under the control of a processor. The digital trunk interface62 may also be partly implemented using a processor module such as, forexample, a Host Media Processing (HMP) processor.

The SMP 18 may include various scripts 66 for managing call processing.The scripts 66 are implemented as software modules, routines, functions,etc., stored in non-volatile memory and executed by the processor of theSMP 18. The scripts 66 may implement call flow logic, business logic,user preferences, call service processes, and various featureapplications.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment in which the PBX 16 performs thefunctions of terminating and/or bridging media streams, but call controlfunctions are largely handled by the SMP 18. In this embodiment, the SMP18 may be referred to as a call control server 18. This architecture maybe referred to as “Third-Party Call Control”.

The call control server 18 is coupled to the PBX 16, for example throughthe LAN, enabling packet-based communications and, more specifically,IP-based communications. In one embodiment, communications between thePBX 16 and the call control server 18 are carried out in accordance withSIP. In other words, the call control server 18 uses SIP-basedcommunications to manage the set up, tear down, and control of mediahandled by the PBX 16. In one example embodiment, the call controlserver 18 may employ a communications protocol conforming to theECMA-269 or ECMA-323 standards for Computer Supported TelecommunicationsApplications (CSTA).

FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment of the enterprise communicationssystem 14. This embodiment reflects the adaptation of an existing set ofcall processing scripts to an architecture that relies on third-partycall control, with separate call control and media handling. The SMP 18includes a call processing server 74. The call processing server 74includes the scripts or other programming constructs for performing callhandling functions. The SMP 18 also includes a SIP server 72 and a mediaserver 76. The separate SIP server 72 and media server 76 logicallyseparate the call control from media handling. The SIP server 72interacts with the call processing server 74 using acomputer-implemented communications handling protocol, such as one ofthe ECMA-269 or ECMA-323 standards. These standards prescribe XML basedmessaging for implementing Computer Supported TelecommunicationsApplications (CSTA).

The SIP server 72 interacts with the media server 76 using SIP-basedmedia handling commands. For example, the SIP server 72 and media server76 may communicate using Media Server Markup Language (MSML) as definedin IETF document Saleem A., “Media Server Markup Language”, InternetDraft, draft-saleem-msml-07, Aug. 7, 2008. The media server 76 may beconfigured to perform Host Media Processing (HMP).

Other architectures or configurations for the enterprise communicationssystem 14 will be appreciated by those ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which shows another embodiment of theenterprise communications system 14 with a Third Party Call Controlarchitecture. In this embodiment, the SMP 18 is a multi-layer platformthat includes a protocol layer 34, a services layer 36 and anapplication layer 38. The protocol layer 34 includes a plurality ofinterface protocols configured for enabling operation of correspondingapplications in the application layer 38. The services layer 36 includesa plurality of services that can be leveraged by the interface protocolsto create richer applications. Finally, the application layer 38includes a plurality of applications that are exposed out to thecommunication devices and that leverage corresponding ones of theservices and interface protocols for enabling the applications.

Specifically, the protocol layer 34 preferably includes protocols whichallow media to be controlled separate from data. For example, theprotocol layer 34 can include, among other things, a Session InitiationProtocol or SIP 80, a Web Services protocol 82, an ApplicationProgramming Interface or API 84, a Computer Telephony Integrationprotocol or CTI 86, and a Session Initiation Protocol for InstantMessaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions or SIMPLE protocol 88. Itis contemplated that the interface protocols 80-88 are plug-ins that caninterface directly with corresponding servers in the enterprise network20, which will be further described below.

For the purposes of this disclosure, SIP 80 will be utilized, althoughit is appreciated that the system 10 can operate using the abovedisclosed or additional protocols. As known by those of ordinary skillin the art, SIP is the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standardfor multimedia session management, and more specifically is anapplication-layer control protocol for establishing, maintaining,modifying and terminating multimedia sessions between two or moreendpoints. As further known by those of ordinary skill in the art, theSIP protocol 80 includes two interfaces for signaling: SIP-Trunk(hereinafter referred to as “SIP-T”) and SIP-Line (hereinafter referredto as “SIP-L”). Specifically, the SIP-T interface is utilized when theendpoint is a non-specific entity or not registered (i.e., whencommunicating between two network entities). In contrast, the SIP-Linterface is utilized when the endpoint is registered (i.e., whendialing to a specific extension). The specific operation of the system10 utilizing SIP 80 will be described in further detail below.

The SMP 18 also includes a plurality of enablers, among other things, aVoIP enabler 90, a Fixed Mobile Convergence or FMC enabler 92, aconference services enabler 94, a presence enabler 96 and an InstantMessaging or IM enabler 98. Each of the enablers 90-98 are used bycorresponding services in the services layer 36 that combine one or moreof the enablers. Each of the applications in the application layer 38 isthen combined with one or more of the services to perform the desiredapplication. For example, a phone call service may use the VoIP or PBXenabler, and an emergency response application may use the phone callservice, an Instant Messenger service, a video call service, and emailservice and/or a conference service.

The application layer 38 may include a conference services application63 that, together with the conference services enabler 94, enablesmultiple communication devices (including desk telephones and personalcomputers) to participate in a conference call through use of acentralized conference server 55. As seen in FIG. 5, the conferenceserver 55 is provided in the enterprise network 20 and is incommunication with the conference services enabler 94 preferably throughthe SIP protocol 80, although it is recognized that additional protocolsthat control media separate from data may be appropriate, such as theWeb Services protocol 82 or the CTI protocol 86. As will be described infurther detail below, the conference call server 55 is configured fordirecting media and data streams to and from one or more communicationdevices (i.e., mobile devices 11, telephones 17, and computers 15).

Turning now to FIGS. 6A through 7B, the general operation of the system10 using SIP 80 as the signaling protocol will be discussed, although itis recognized that the present system is not limited to the processesdiscussed herein. The signaling descriptions that follow are based onThird Party Call Control architecture, such as that illustrated in FIG.3 or 5. It will be appreciated that similar but slightly modifiedsignaling may be used in a First Party Call Control architecture,wherein the PBX 16 will pass media through to the SMP 18 for directmedia handling by the SMP 18. Variations in the signaling to adapt tovarious architectures will be appreciated by those ordinarily skilled inthe art.

FIG. 6A provides a signaling diagram for a call originating from one ofthe mobile devices 11 to a target phone 101 connected to a PrivateBranch Exchange Server or PBX 16 provided within the enterprise network20. First, the device 11 sends a mobile originated call request with itscellular number and the destination number of the target phone 101 tothe SMP 18 (block 100). In some embodiments, the mobile originated callrequest may be sent via the WLAN through the enterprise server 12. Inanother embodiment, the call request may be sent via the PLMN/PSTNthrough the PBX 16, for example as an SMS message or using anothermessaging operation. The SMP 18 confirms the call request by sending theDNIS number to the device 11 (block 102). Next, the device 11 makes acellular call using the DNIS number, which is received by the PBX 16(block 104). As the DNIS has been configured in the PBX 16 to be routedto the SMP 18 via SIP-T, in response to the incoming call, the PBX 16sends an invite over SIP-T with the DNIS number to the SMP 18 (block106). The SMP 18 matches the incoming call with the expected call fromthe mobile, and if correct, acknowledges the invite by sending a 200 OKsignal to the PBX 16, indicating that the mobile call leg is established(block 108).

The SMP 18 then sets up the outgoing call leg to the destination. Itdoes this by sending an invite over SIP-L to the PBX 16 with thedestination number of the target phone (block 110). SIP-L is used sothat the call can be correctly attributed to the individual within theorganization within any call records that are being maintained by thePBX 16. When the invite is received, the PBX 16 dials the destinationnumber to the target phone 101 (block 112), and the target phone 101answers the call (block 114). When the target phone 101 is answered, thePBX 16 sends a 200 OK signal to the SMP 18 indicating that the targetphone 101 is ready to receive data (block 115). The SMP 18 then sends aninvite over SIP-T to the PBX 16 and shuffles the SDP (SessionDescription Protocol, as known to those of ordinary skill in the art) toconnect the call legs (block 116). When the call legs are connected, thePBX 16 sends a second 200 OK signal to the SMP 18 (block 118), and theusers of the device 11 and target phone 101 can communicate with eachother.

Note that between the cellular call leg being established and theoutgoing call leg being answered, the mobile user hears ringing tones.These ringing tones may be provided by the PBX 16 using the presentationof early media from the outgoing call leg, or they may be generatedlocally on the device 11 if early media is not available. In the lattercase, it will be necessary to localize the ringing tone to match thetone normally heard with a call through the PBX 16.

The above description is known as a “mobile initiated” call, because theSMP 18 provides the mobile device 11 with the DNIS number into which themobile device 11 has called. Alternatively, the mobile originated callcould be “PBX initiated”, as shown in FIG. 6B. Specifically, in aPBX-initiated call, upon receipt of the mobile originated call request(block 120), the SMP 18 confirms receipt of the call to the mobiledevice 11 with an ANI number (block 122), which the mobile device usesto identify the incoming call from the PBX 16. The PBX 16 then sends aninvite over SIP-T to the PBX 16 with the cellular number of the deviceand the ANI number that is attached to the outgoing call (block 124).Upon receipt of the invite, the PBX 16 makes a cellular call to thedevice 11 (block 126), which is answered by the device (block 128). Thedevice 11 checks the ANI number in the incoming call to confirm if thenumber is actually from the PBX 16. If the ANI number is stripped forany particular reason, then the device 11 may be configured to answerthe call as a regular cellular call, or it may reject the call asunknown. When the device 11 answers the PBX-initiated call, the PBX 16sends a 200 OK signal to the SMP 18, indicating that the call leg to thedevice is established (block 130).

In response, the SMP 18 sends an invite over SIP-L with the destinationnumber of the target phone 101 to the PBX 16 (block 132). When theinvite is received at the PBX 16, the PBX dials the destination numberto the target phone 101 (block 134), the target phone 101 picks up thecall (block 136), and a 200 OK signal is sent from the PBX 16 to the SMP18 (block 138), indicating that the target phone 101 is also ready toreceive data. In response to the 200 OK, the SMP 18 sends an invite tothe PBX 16, shuffling the SDP to connect the call legs (block 140).Finally, when the call legs are connected, the PBX 16 sends a second 200OK signal to the SMP 18, and the users of the device 11 and target phone101 are able to communicate with each other.

In both instances, the SMP 18 is performing third party call control ofthe two call legs, the PBX 16 remaining in control of the call. Thedecision of whether to proceed with a mobile-initiated call or aPBX-initiated call can be set by policy. Specifically, the option toselect either mobile-initiated or PBX-initiated calls is a featureprovided in the SMP 18, and an administrator for the enterprise network20 can determine which setting to use. For example, in some cases it maybe more cost effective for the corporation to utilize PBX-initiatedcalls rather than mobile-initiated calls, and vice versa. However, it isappreciated that the system 10 is not limited to the above processes.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are signaling diagrams illustrating a mobile terminatedcall utilizing SIP 80. Specifically, and for the purposes of thisdisclosure, the target phone 101 is originating the call, which willsend a call to the mobile device. Turning first to FIG. 7A, an incomingcall is made from the target phone 101 to the PBX 16 (block 150). Whenthe call is received at the PBX 16, the PBX 16 sends an invite to theSMP 18 over SIP-L (block 152).

In response to the invite, the SMP 18 sends a call request with the DNISnumber and source details to the device 11 (block 154), which isconfirmed to the SMP (block 156). In addition to confirming the call,the mobile device 11 sends a cellular call to the DNIS number at the PBX16 (block 158). Again, as the DNIS number is routed in the dialing plansto the SMP 18, upon receipt of the cellular call, the PBX 16 sends aninvite over SIP-T to the SMP 18 with the DNIS number (block 160). Inresponse to the invite, a “200 OK” signal is sent over SIP-T from theSMP 18 to the PBX 16, acknowledging that the call leg to the mobiledevice 11 is established (block 162). Finally, the initial invite (block152) is acknowledged with the “200 OK” signal with the cellular SDP, atwhich point the call legs are joined and the target phone 101 and device11 can communicate with each other on the call.

The diagram shown in FIG. 7A illustrates a “mobile-initiated” call,because, as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the SMP 18presents the mobile device 11 with the DNIS number at the PBX 16 intowhich to call. However, it is also possible to employ a “PBX-initiated”mobile terminated call, as shown in FIG. 7B, where the PBX 16 sends anincoming call to the device 11 with the ANI number of the target phone101.

Specifically, similar to the mobile initiated call described above andshown in FIG. 7A, the target phone 101 sends an incoming call to thedestination number of the device, which is received at the PBX 16 (block170). Upon receipt of the call, the PBX 16 sends an invite over SIP-L tothe SMP 18 (block 172) with the source number of the target phone 101.In response to the invite, the SMP 18 sends a call request with thesource number to the device 11 (block 174), with the ANI number thedevice should expect in the incoming call, the call request beingconfirmed by the device (block 176). At this point in the PBX-initiatedcall, the SMP 18 sends an invite over SIP-T to the PBX 16 with thecellular number and ANI number to use (block 178), prompting the PBX 16to make a cellular call to the device 11 with the ANI number (block180), prompting the device to ring. The device 11 answers the call(block 182), and a “200 OK” signal is sent from the PBX 16 to the SMP18, acknowledging that the cellular call leg to the device 11 isestablished (block 184). In response, a “200 OK” signal is also sentfrom the SMP 18 to the PBX 16, acknowledging that the call leg to thetarget phone 101 is also established (block 186). The SMP 18 shufflesthe SDP to connect the call legs, the call legs are joined, and thetarget phone 101 and device 11 can communicate with each other on thecall.

As discussed above with respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the SMP 18 remainsin control of the signaling between the target phone 101 and the mobiledevice 11 in both the mobile-initiated and PBX-initiated calls. Again,the decision to proceed with a mobile-initiated call or a PBX-initiatedcall is based on policy and may be set by a system administrator. Insome cases, it may be more efficient or cost effective for theadministrator to decide that PBX-initiated calls should be used, and inother cases, it may be more efficient or cost effective formobile-initiated calls to be utilized. As these policy decisions mayvary by organization and are not imperative to the scope of the presentapplication, they will not be discussed in further detail.

As described above, mobile device 11 may be used to both initiate andreceive calls, including conference calls. Components of exemplarymobile device 11 will next be described in conjunction with FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 illustrates mobile device 11 including a housing, an input device(a keyboard 2114), and an output device (a display 2126), which ispreferably a full graphic Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Other types ofoutput devices may alternatively be utilized. A processing device (amicroprocessor 2128) is shown schematically in FIG. 8 as coupled betweenthe keyboard 2114 and the display 2126. The microprocessor 2128 controlsthe operation of the display 2126, as well as the overall operation ofthe mobile device 11, in response to actuation of keys on the keyboard2114 by a user.

The housing may be elongated vertically, or may take on other sizes andshapes (including clamshell housing structures). The keyboard mayinclude a mode selection key, or other hardware or software forswitching between text entry and telephony entry.

In addition to the microprocessor 2128, other parts of the mobile device11 are shown schematically in FIG. 8. These include: a communicationssubsystem 2100; a short-range communications subsystem 2102; thekeyboard 2114 and the display 2126, along with other input/outputdevices including a set of auxiliary I/O devices 2106, a serial port2108, a speaker 2111 and a microphone 2112; as well as memory devices(which are computer-readable media) including a flash memory 2116 and aRandom Access Memory (RAM) 2118; and various other device subsystems2120. The mobile device 11 may have a battery 2121 to power the activeelements of the mobile device 11. The mobile device 11 is preferably atwo-way radio frequency (RF) communication device having voice and datacommunication capabilities. In addition, the mobile device 11 preferablyhas the capability to communicate with other computer systems via theInternet.

Operating system software executed by the microprocessor 2128 ispreferably stored in a persistent store, such as the flash memory 2116,but may be stored in other types of memory devices, such as a read onlymemory (ROM) or similar storage element. In addition, system software,specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarilyloaded into a volatile store, such as the RAM 2118. Communicationsignals received by the mobile device may also be stored to the RAM2118.

The microprocessor 2128, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications on the mobile device 11. Apredetermined set of software applications that control basic deviceoperations, such as a voice communications module 2130A and a datacommunications module 2130B, may be installed on the mobile device 11during manufacture. In addition, a personal information manager (PIM)application module 2130C may also be installed on the mobile device 11during manufacture. The PIM application is preferably capable oforganizing and managing data items, such as e-mail, calendar events,voice mails, appointments, and task items. The PIM application is alsopreferably capable of sending and receiving data items via a wirelessnetwork 32. Preferably, the data items managed by the PIM applicationare seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated via the wirelessnetwork 32 with the device user's corresponding data items stored orassociated with a host computer system. As well, additional softwaremodules, illustrated as other software modules 2130N, may be installedduring manufacture.

Communication functions, including data and voice communications, areperformed through the communication subsystem 2100, and possibly throughthe short-range communications subsystem 2102. The communicationsubsystem 2100 includes a receiver 2150, a transmitter 2152 and one ormore antennas, illustrated as a receive antenna 2154 and a transmitantenna 2156. In addition, the communication subsystem 2100 alsoincludes a processing module, such as a digital signal processor (DSP)2158, and local oscillators (LOs) 2160. The specific design andimplementation of the communication subsystem 2100 is dependent upon thecommunication network in which the mobile device 11 is intended tooperate. For example, the communication subsystem 2100 of the mobiledevice 11 may be designed to operate with the Mobitex™, DataTAC™ orGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data communication networksand also designed to operate with any of a variety of voicecommunication networks, such as Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS),Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple AccessCDMA, Personal Communications Service (PCS), Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), etc. Other types of data and voice networks, bothseparate and integrated, may also be utilized with the mobile device 11.

Network access requirements vary depending upon the type ofcommunication system. For example, in the Mobitex™ and DataTAC™networks, mobile devices are registered on the network using a uniquePersonal Identification Number (PIN) associated with each device. InGPRS networks, however, network access is associated with a subscriberor user of a device. A GPRS device therefore requires a subscriberidentity module, commonly referred to as a Subscriber Identity Module(SIM) card, in order to operate on a GPRS network.

When required network registration or activation procedures have beencompleted, the mobile device 11 may send and receive communicationsignals over the communication network 2110. Signals received from thecommunication network 2110 by the receive antenna 2154 are routed to thereceiver 2150, which provides for signal amplification, frequency downconversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., and may also provideanalog to digital conversion. Analog-to-digital conversion of thereceived signal allows the DSP 2158 to perform more complexcommunication functions, such as demodulation and decoding. In a similarmanner, signals to be transmitted to the network 32 are processed (e.g.,modulated and encoded) by the DSP 2158 and are then provided to thetransmitter 2152 for digital to analog conversion, frequency upconversion, filtering, amplification and transmission to thecommunication network 32 (or networks) via the transmit antenna 2156.

In addition to processing communication signals, the DSP 2158 providesfor control of the receiver 2150 and the transmitter 2152. For example,gains applied to communication signals in the receiver 2150 and thetransmitter 2152 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in the DSP 2158.

In a data communication mode, a received signal, such as a text messageor web page download, is processed by the communication subsystem 2100and is input to the microprocessor 2128. The received signal is thenfurther processed by the microprocessor 2128 for an output to thedisplay 2126, or alternatively to some other auxiliary I/O devices 2106.A device user may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages,using the keyboard 2114 and/or some other auxiliary I/O device 2106,such as a touchpad, a rocker switch, a trackball, or some other type ofinput device. The composed data items may then be transmitted over thecommunication network 32 via the communication subsystem 2100.

In a voice communication mode, overall operation of the device issubstantially similar to the data communication mode, except thatreceived signals are output to a speaker 2111, and signals fortransmission are generated by a microphone 2112. Alternative voice oraudio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, mayalso be implemented on the device 11. In addition, the display 2126 mayalso be utilized in voice communication mode, for example, to displaythe identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or othervoice call related information.

The short-range communications subsystem 2102 enables communicationbetween the mobile device 11 and other proximate systems or devices,which need not necessarily be similar devices. For example, theshort-range communications subsystem may include an infrared device andassociated circuits and components, or a Bluetooth™ communication moduleto provide for communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices.

To provide context and background for the disclosed method, thefollowing disclosure begins by first describing the process of creatinga conference call request. Next, the process of accepting a conferencecall request is described. Finally, the process of joining a conferencecall, which process includes the disclosed method, is described.

By way of background, a host (or moderator) may initiate a conferencecall meeting in one of several ways. A typical method is for the host tocreate and send a meeting request addressed to one or more invitedparticipants using a messaging application such as an email application.The moderator may enter in the meeting request a list of invitedparticipants (or “attendees”), the time of the conference call, adial-in number to the conference call bridge and a security code. Uponreceipt of the meeting request, each invited participant may choose toaccept, reject or modify the meeting request. Upon accepting the meetingrequest, an entry associated with the conference call event may beentered into the attendee's electronic calendar.

FIGS. 9A to 9F illustrate how a host/moderator (“the user”) may send outa conference call request to one or more desired participants usingexemplary mobile device 11. As previously explained, PIM applicationmodule 2130C, which is capable of managing data items such as email andcalendar events, may be installed on mobile device 11 (FIG. 8). Inparticular, PIM application module 2130C may include email and calendarapplications in conjunction with which the disclosed method mayfunction, as will become apparent.

Upon launching the calendar application of PIM module 2130C, the hostmay be presented with exemplary user interface screen 300 (FIG. 9A) ondisplay 2126. Screen 300 may be divided into a status bar portion 316and a calendar portion 318. An indication of the current date (“Aug. 8,2007”), time (“7:16a”) and week of the year (“Week 32”) may be displayedin status bar portion 316. Calendar portion 318 may be a grid with thedays of the current week displayed along the x-axis and hours of the dayon displayed along the y-axis. Such a calendar view may be referred toas a “week view”. This is in contrast to a single-day “day view”, or amulti-day “agenda view” as will be further discussed below.Additionally, a cursor 306 may be provided as a navigational aid onscreen 300 (FIG. 9B). As illustrated, cursor 306 is situated on the 9:00to 9:30a timeslot on Wednesday, August 8.

While on screen 300, the host may call up menu 302 by, for example,clicking the trackball (or other auxiliary I/O device 2106) of device 11(FIG. 9B). Conveniently, menu 302 may contain a plurality of contextualactions (conventionally known as “menu items”) available to the host.That is, the actions presented to the host in menu 302 may convenientlybe only those that a user would logically be expected to invoke whenpresented with screen 300. For example, it may be expected that a userwould want to show calendar events for the current day (“Today”); viewcalendar events for a particular date (“Go To Date . . . ”); change thecalendar view to “day view” (“View Day”), “month view” (“View Month”) or“agenda view” (“View Agenda”); create a new appointment entry (“NewAppointment”), etc. Notably, the user may also be given the option ofcreating a new conference call event (“New Conference Call” action 304).

As is well known in the art, the active menu item in menu 302 may behighlighted. For instance, as shown in FIG. 9B, the “New ConferenceCall” action 304 is the active menu item. A user may navigate up or downmenu 302 to highlight other menu items by, for example, scrollingtrackball 2106 up or down. To select a menu item, the user may highlightthe action then click trackball 2106.

After the host has selected “New Conference Call” item 304 from menu302, he or she may be presented with screen 320 (FIG. 9C). Title bar 330identifies screen 320 as associated with the “New Conference Call”action. Screen 320 may include several editable (using one or acombination of keyboard 2114 and I/O device 2106) text fields, including“Subject:” field 331, “Location:” field 332, “Start:” field 334, “End:”field 335, and “Notes:” field 347. Conveniently, and referring back toFIG. 9B, the values of “Start:” field 334 and “End:” field 335 may beautomatically set based on the position of cursor 306 at the time theuser calls up menu 304.

Notably, the host may also set a value for “Reminder:” field 339 atscreen 320. As illustrated, because the value of “Reminder:” field 339is set to “15 min”, a reminder screen (FIG. 15) will pop up on display2126 of each participant's mobile device 15 minutes before thedesignated start time of the conference call, in this example, 9:00 amon Aug. 8, 2007. Of course, the host could change the value of“Reminder:” field 339 to another time preceding the designated starttime in a conventional manner (e.g. by typing another value in orpicking another value from a pick list).

The host may, using keyboard 2114, enter text in “Subject:” field 331,“Location:” field 332, and “Notes:” field 347 (see FIGS. 9E and 9F). Inthe “Notes:” field, the host may type in free-form text, including, forexample, a description of the purpose of the conference call, andcall-information, such as the dial-in number for the conference bridge(e.g. conference bridge 64). More specifically, as illustrated in FIG.9F, the host has typed the following text into “Notes:” field 347;“Discuss next steps for customer engagement.” and has provided dial-ininformation consisting of a toll-free dial-in number to the conferencebridge (“1 888 555 1234”), e.g. conference bridge 64, and a securitycode (“1234567”). As will be further detailed below, the conferencebridge dial-in number may be underlined, indicating that it isactionable text.

To invite participants to the conference call, the host may clicktrackball 2106 on screen 320 (FIG. 9C) to call up menu 322, as shown inFIG. 9D. Menu 322 includes an “Invite Attendee” item 324. Afterselecting the “Invite Attendee” item 324, the host may be taken to anaddress book, also part of PIM application module 2130C. The host maythen select one or more contacts in the address book in a conventionalmanner (not shown). Alternatively, the host may be presented with a textfield into which he or she may type the email address(es) of one or moreattendees also in a conventional manner (not shown).

Once all desired attendees have been added, the host may scroll up to,and select, the “Save” item 326 on menu 322 (see FIG. 9E). The completedconference call request 450 (screen 340) is shown in FIG. 9F (note thatthe list of all invited attendees is not shown in exemplary screen 340).Conference call request 450 is thereafter sent via email, for example,over wireless network 32, to each invited attendee.

The function of fields 333, 336, 337, 338, 345, and 346 are beyond thescope of this disclosure, and therefore will not be discussed. However,their uses should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Instead of the host creating a conference call request using the “NewConference Call” menu item, as described above, as may be appreciated byone of ordinary skill in the art, an existing meeting calendar item maybe converted into a conference call meeting by filling in the fieldsspecific to a conference call meeting (e.g. call-in details).

FIG. 10 is a screenshot of exemplary screen 341 that is displayed to arecipient of the conference call request 450. The recipient may receiveconference call request 450 as an email on his or her mobile device 11′(not shown). Mobile device 11′ may be identical to or may contain thesame functional components as previously described mobile device 11.

The recipient may open the email in a conventional manner and bepresented with screen 341. Next, the recipient may click on screen 341,using for example, trackball 2106, to call up menu 342. Like menu 322,menu 342 may contain a plurality of contextual menu items, including theactive highlighted “Accept:” item 344. To accept conference call request450, the recipient may select “Accept:” item 344 by clicking trackball2106. When the recipient accepts conference call request 450, an entryassociated with the conference call event may be entered into his or herelectronic calendar.

FIG. 11 is a screenshot of the recipient's calendar. It may be notedthat user interface screen 500 is the same as user interface screen 300(FIG. 9A), except with different data displayed. Specifically, title bar502 of screen 500, like title bar 316 of screen 300, displays thecurrent date, week of the year and time. Portion 506 of the screen 500is also a calendar “week view” like portion 318 of screen 300, exceptthat screen 500 displays the recipient's calendar whereas screen 300displays the host's calendar.

Once the recipient accepts conference call request 450, bar 516,associated with conference call request 450, is added to the recipient'scalendar. (Once the recipient has accepted conference call request 450,he or she will hereinafter be referred to as an “attendee”.)Specifically, bar 516 indicates that the 9:00-9:30a timeslot onWednesday, August 8 is filled, i.e. the attendee has a scheduled event,in this example, a conference call.

As illustrated, cursor 506 is situated on bar 516. When in thisconfiguration (i.e. when a user is “mouse-ing over” bar 516), someinformation about the event associated with bar 516 may be displayed ininformation panel 504. It may be observed that information panel 504merely displays the subject, location and time of the conference callevent, however, does not display detailed information includinginformation contained in the “Notes:” field. To remedy this, theattendee may call up screen 350, entitled “Conference Call Details”(FIG. 12), by clicking on bar 516.

At or prior to the designated meeting time, each attendee, including thehost/moderator, dials in to the conference bridge. As previouslydiscussed, an attendee may not recall the dial-in number and securitycode from memory. This is especially likely to be so when the attendeeattends many different conference calls each with different dial-innumbers and security codes. Consequently, conventionally, at thedesignated meeting time, to obtain the necessary dial-in information andsecurity code, an attendee would call up his or her calendar on his orher mobile device 11′ and select the user interface component associatedwith the conference call event (in this example, bar 516) to bring upConference Call Details screen 350.

After retrieving the dial-in number and security code from theConference Call Details screen 350, the attendee would conventionallythen manually dial the dial-in number. After connecting to theconference bridge, the attendee would manually enter the security codewhen prompted to do so. In certain embodiments of mobile device 11/11′,short-cuts may be available to relieve the user from having to manuallydial the dial-in number. For instance, the dial-in number stored in the“Notes:” field, may be converted to actionable text such that, forexample, clicking on the dial-in number brings up a menu. This menu mayinclude a “Dial [phone number]” menu item. The “[Phone number]” portionwould be automatically filled in by mobile device 11/11′. Referring toFIG. 12, rather than the attendee manually dialing each digit, theattendee, could instead, for example, click on the “1 888 555 1234” textin the “Notes:” field. He or she may then be presented with a menu thatincludes a “Dial 1 888 555 1234” menu item (not shown). A similarshort-cut may be available to relieve the user from having to manuallyenter each digit of the security code.

Regardless of whether the attendee manually enters each digit of thedial-in number and/or security code, conventionally, the attendee mustfirst call up his or her calendar, select the user interface componentassociated with the conference call event, call up a detailed view ofthe conference call event to retrieve the dial-in number and securitycode, initiate dialing of the dial-in number and then finally enter thesecurity code. Only if the attendee perfectly enters the dial-in numberand/or security code will he or she be put into the conference. Clearly,shortening this multi-step process is desirable. A shorter process maynot only reduce the likelihood of user-error but may also save timesince the user need not commence the sequence of actions needed to jointhe conference as far in advance of the designated meeting time.

To this end, and in accordance with the disclosed method, with referenceto FIG. 11 and flow diagram 1600 (FIG. 16), a “Join Now” menu item 510may be included in the list of contextual menu items in menu 512. Withthe inclusion of the “Join Now” menu item 510 in menu 512, an attendeemay more quickly join the conference call by calling up his or hercalendar, navigating to the user interface component associated with theconference call event, i.e. bar 516, clicking on bar 516 to bring upmenu 512, and selecting the “Join Now” menu item 510 (S1602).Thereafter, device 11/11′ locates the stored information associated withthe conference call (S1604) (e.g. in a database), i.e. the dial-innumber to the conference call bridge and security code, and initiatesconnection with the conference call bridge in the manner described abovein conjunction with FIGS. 6A and 6B: first dialing the conference calldial-in telephone number (S1606) and then, after a pause or afterrecognizing a voice prompt (S1608), entering the security code (S1610).The attendee is then joined into the conference (S1612). As may bereadily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the database maybe stored on mobile device 11/11′, for example, in memory 2116 (FIG. 8),or may be stored somewhere on enterprise network 20 and accessed bydevice 11/11′ over wireless network 32 (FIG. 1).

Thus, conveniently, from the attendee's perspective, after selecting“Join Now” menu item 510, he or she is automatically joined into theconference call. In contrast to the conventional method, he or she neednot call up a detailed view of the conference call event, locate thedial-in number and security code and then subsequently dial the dial-innumbers and security code.

FIGS. 13A and 13B depict a second embodiment of the disclosed method. Inparticular, FIG. 13A is a screenshot of screen 370 showing an attendee'scalendar in “day view”. In this example, as indicated by user interfacecomponent 700, the attendee has accepted (or created), in the mannerpreviously described, a conference call request, with the subject“Conference call test”, scheduled for 12:30-1:30 on Tuesday, May 13,2008. In accordance with the disclosed method, to join the conferencecall, the attendee may select user interface component 700, to call upmenu 702. Conveniently, menu 702 may also include a “Join Now” menu item704. Upon selecting “Join Now” menu item 704, the attendee's mobiledevice locates the information associated with the conference call andinitiates dialing of the appropriate telephone number.

FIG. 14 is a screenshot of a screen 712 of a third embodiment of thedisclosed method. Specifically, screen 712 shows an attendee's calendarin “agenda view”. As indicated by user interface component 720, thisattendee has accepted (or created) a conference call request, with thesubject “Conference-Dave”, at 4:00 pm on Jan. 27, 2009. Again, inaccordance with the disclosed method, a “Join Now” menu item 716 isadded to menu 714. The attendee may join the conference call at thedesignated time by simply selecting user interface component 720 to callup menu 714 and then selecting “Join Now” menu item 716. Upon selecting“Join Now” menu item 716, the attendee's mobile device locates theinformation associated with the conference call and initiates dialing ofthe appropriate telephone number and entry of the security code at theappropriate time (FIG. 16).

Thus far, the described embodiments allow the user to select a “JoinNow” menu item from a menu in various user interfaces associated with acalendar application (i.e. “day view”, “agenda view”, “week view”).However, the disclosed method is not so limited, as further describedbelow.

FIG. 15 depicts yet another embodiment of the disclosed method.Referring back to FIG. 9C, as previously described, the host/moderatormay populate “Reminder” field 339 with a time value, e.g. 15 min. Thishas the effect of causing a reminder window 420 (FIG. 15) to pop up ondisplay 2126 15 minutes preceding the time set for the commencement ofthe conference call. Reminder window 420 may take precedence over anyunderlying windows such that it is the top-most window displayed ondisplay 2126. This reduces the likelihood that the user will miss thereminder because reminder window 420, is for example, hidden behindother windows. For example, in FIG. 15, desktop screen 400 is aconventional software desktop with a plurality of application icons. Atthe pre-configured time, reminder window 420 pops up on desktop screen400.

Reminder window 420 includes text 440 describing the subject of thereminder (i.e., “Conference Call Team Meeting”) and time of the eventthat is the subject of the reminder (i.e., Aug. 8, 2007 9:00 am to Aug.8, 2007 9:30 am). Conventionally, reminder window 420 may furtherinclude buttons which provide a menu 421 of options, specifically, a“Decline” button 424 and “In a few minutes . . . ” (often alternativelylabeled “Snooze”) button 426. As may be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art, selection by the user of “Decline” button 424, using,for example trackball 2106, may have the effect of permanently hidingreminder screen 420. Selection of the “In a few minutes . . . ” button426 may hide reminder screen 420 for a pre-configured period of time,e.g. 5 minutes. Upon expiration of this pre-configured time period,reminder screen 420 may again pop up on display 2126.

In accordance with the present disclosure, “Join Now” button 422, isalso included in the menu 421 of options in reminder window 420. “JoinNow” button 422 functions in the same manner as previously described“Join Now” menu items 510, 704, and 716, and as previously described inconjunction with flow diagram 1600 (FIG. 16). Unlike in the previouslydescribed calendar embodiment, the “Join Now” menu item is displayedalong with other options, such as “Snooze” and “Dismiss” when thereminder window pops up. That is, unlike the calendar view embodiment,the user need not call up a menu in order to access the “Join Now” menuitem. However, conveniently, in both the calendar and reminder windowembodiments, the attendee is able to initiate joining to conference callfrom reminder screen 420 without having to access a detailed view of theconference call event to obtain the dial-in number and security code,and thereafter, manually dialing in and entering the security code.

Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments canbe made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to beillustrative and not restrictive.

For example, the disclosed method may function in conjunction with the“day view”, “agenda view” and “week view” of the calendar application.However, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art,other types of calendar views may be available (e.g. “month view”). Tothis end, a “Join Now” menu item could be added to a menu accessiblethrough a user interface component associated with the conference callevent in other calendar views.

Moreover, as described above, the calendar application and reminderwindow are two components of PIM application module 2130C. However, PIMapplication module 2130C may include other time management softwareapplications such as a task list or journal. The disclosed method mayalso function in conjunction with these other time management softwareapplications.

In a further alternative, the “Join Now” menu item may be added to amenu of the existing calendar application and as another button in areminder window of mobile device 11/11′. For example, an update to thecalendar application may be installed on mobile device 11/11′, whichupdate adds the “Join Now” functionality (and associated menu item) to amenu of the calendar application. Similarly, the application thatdisplays reminder window 420 may be updated, which update adds a “JoinNow” button and associated functionality to the reminder window. In thisregard, a dedicated conference call management application need not beinstalled on mobile device 11/11′.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method, comprising: receiving, from a user, aselection of a time interval for a specific day in a displayed calendar,in connection with the selection of the time interval, displaying ascreen including graphical elements associated with attributes of aconference call; in response to a selection in the screen, displaying aconference-call menu including one or more actions available to the userincluding an option to invite attendees; receiving a selection of one ormore attendees; and transmitting, to the one or more attendees, aninvitation identifying the attributes of the conference call.
 22. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising: in response to the selection ofthe time interval, displaying an action menu displaying actionsavailable to the user including an option to create a newconference-call event and a new appointment event; and receiving aselection of the option to create the new conference-call event, whereinthe screen is displayed in response to the selection of the option tocreate the new conference-call event.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein the action menu overlaps the displayed calendar.
 24. The methodof claim 21, wherein the conference-call menu overlaps the screen. 25.The method of claim 21, wherein the attributes includes at least one ofa start time, an end time, a time zone, a subject, or a location. 26.The method of claim 21, wherein the calendar includes an x-axis and ay-axis, and days of a week are displayed along the x-axis and hours ofan associated day are displayed along the y-axis.
 27. The method ofclaim 21, wherein receiving a selection of one or more attendeescomprises: presenting an address book including a list of contacts; andreceiving a selection of one or more contacts in the address book.
 28. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions to cause aprocessor to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a user, aselection of a time interval for a specific day in a displayed calendar,in connection with the selection of the time interval, displaying ascreen including graphical elements associated with attributes of aconference call; in response to a selection in the screen, displaying aconference-call menu including one or more actions available to the userincluding an option to invite attendees; receiving a selection of one ormore attendees; and transmitting, to the one or more attendees, aninvitation identifying the attributes of the conference call.
 29. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 28, further comprising: in response tothe selection of the time interval, displaying an action menu displayingactions available to the user including an option to create a newconference-call event and a new appointment event; and receiving aselection of the option to create the new conference-call event, whereinthe screen is displayed in response to the selection of the option tocreate the new conference-call event.
 30. The computer readable mediumof claim 29, wherein the action menu overlaps the displayed calendar.31. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein theconference-call menu overlaps the screen.
 32. The computer readablemedium of claim 28, wherein the attributes includes at least one of astart time, an end time, a time zone, a subject, or a location.
 33. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 28, wherein the calendar includes anx-axis and a y-axis, and days of a week are displayed along the x-axisand hours of an associated day are displayed along the y-axis.
 34. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 28, wherein receiving a selection ofone or more attendees comprises: presenting an address book including alist of contacts; and receiving a selection of one or more contacts inthe address book.
 35. A mobile device, comprising: an input deviceconfigured to receive, from a user, a selection of a time interval for aspecific day in a displayed calendar, a display configured to: inconnection with the selection of the time interval, display a screenincluding graphical elements associated with attributes of a conferencecall; and in response to a selection in the screen, displaying aconference-call menu including one or more actions available to the userincluding an option to invite attendees; the input device furtherconfigured to receive a selection of one or more attendees; and atransmitter configured to transmit, to the one or more attendees, aninvitation identifying the attributes of the conference call.
 36. Themobile device of claim 35, further comprising: the display furtherconfigured to, in response to the selection of the time interval,display an action menu displaying actions available to the userincluding an option to create a new conference-call event and a newappointment event; and the input device further configured to receive aselection of the option to create the new conference-call event, whereinthe screen is displayed in response to the selection of the option tocreate the new conference-call event.
 37. The mobile device of claim 36,wherein the action menu overlaps the displayed calendar.
 38. The mobiledevice of claim 35, wherein the conference-call menu overlaps thescreen.
 39. The mobile device of claim 35, wherein the attributesincludes at least one of a start time, an end time, a time zone, asubject, or a location.
 40. The mobile device of claim 35, wherein thecalendar includes an x-axis and a y-axis, and days of a week aredisplayed along the x-axis and hours of an associated day are displayedalong the y-axis.
 41. The mobile device of claim 35, further comprising:the display further configured to present an address book including alist of contacts; and the input device further configured to receive aselection of one or more contacts in the address book.